Growing Personal Brands for Founders & Executives | Aspiring Coffee-Influencer & Founder at notus

Turn your story into your competitive advantage.

I decided to take a gap year in 2018 to follow my entrepreneurial dream, left my hometown in Switzerland, and traveled to the US.

The goal was to figure out things as I went, learn by doing, document my journey, and connect with inspiring people.

Just a few months into this adventure, because I had been posting content and doing free marketing consultations with local businesses, I co-founded notus in the heart of New York City alongside a former employee of GaryVee.

THIS was when I realized how powerful personal branding is.

Since then, we've had the privilege to work with 150+ founders & executives across DACH and the US, helping them strategize, launch and grow their personal brands on LinkedIn and beyond.

At notus, our core offering is the content engine:.

A seamless process that helps you:

- build an audience
- save time
- attract talent
- make more sales.

We capture your authentic voice through podcasts and voice memos...

...turning your raw expertise and unique story into content that builds brand equity and attracts the right people.

Want to talk personal branding?

Just drop me a LinkedIn message, and let's connect!

Outside of work, you’ll find me strolling through the streets of Berlin (probably with a cup of coffee), filming & editing videos, listening to music & podcasts, and drinking a whole lot of water.

Marvin Sanginés

I've spent 7 years building 200+ LinkedIn Content Engines for B2B founders & executives. The result is a 27-page Google Doc Playbook: 

If you want to build a top 0.01% LinkedIn strategy in 2026, this should be your tactical roadmap (at least it’s mine) 

This is the strategy we used at notus to generate:

- 30-50 discovery calls per month
- millions of impressions
- $180k MRR

And it’s the same system we implement for our agency clients.

Here's what's inside: 

→ The 5 critical questions to answer before posting anything
→ Our Content Archetype Framework (the 4 pillars that drive real engagement)
→ The daily 30-minute routine that generates qualified meetings
→ My full Thought Leadership Ads system for paid amplification
→ A 6-month implementation roadmap so you know exactly what to do and when
→ BONUS: Link to our Personal Brand Hub operating system 

Want it for free? 

1. Like this post
2. Comment "playbook"
3. Send me a connection request (preferably with the word “playbook” so I can DM you easier) 

Me or someone from the notus team will send it over!

Building Effective Personal Brands for Founders & Executives with Purpose | B2B Content Engines & Founder-Led Marketing | Coffee Connoisseur & Founder at notus 💆🏽

I started 2025 with: 

• 80k MRR
• 17,500 LinkedIn followers & 1,700 YouTube subs
• 10 core team members
• A 3-month winter escape in Barcelona
• A software MVP we scratched shortly after
• Fresh case studies
• Big vision but cluttered focus 

I'm starting 2026 with: 

• 180k MRR
• 36,500 LinkedIn followers & 8,500 subscribers
• 15 core team members
• A 3-month winter escape in Lisbon
• A new product that solves our own problem (and will help us help more people)
• Some of our best case studies yet
• Big vision and narrow focus 

2025 also reminded us that growth isn’t everything. We lost our beloved chief of staff and dear friend Hannah. We'll never forget her.

As a team we notus evolved. We strengthened our bond, expanded our leadership team, and assembled a group of people who are just amazing at what they do.

I've never been more bullish.

Last year I also replaced myself from the day-to-day. The core business runs without me.

Now I get to figure out where I create the most value:

→ Setting strategy
→ Attracting & retaining talent
→ Following my instinct
→ Creating content
→ Building partnerships
→ Expanding my knowledge
→ Teaching what I learn

The mission stays the same: Help people turn their unique stories, vibes, and expertise into business leverage by living the content life.

In 2026 we double down on becoming the go-to platform for category-defining personal brands. 

Still doing cool shit with cool people.

And I couldn't be more grateful

Thank you team. Thank you partners. Thank you to everyone who had my back. 

Day by day.

Two weeks ago, the notus team and I moved into a villa together in Lisbon. The goal was proximity, focus, and momentum. Here's what happened so far:  

• Our first 100K organic impressions after posting again on LinkedIn 
• Kicked off 5 new agency clients 
• Onboarded 6 users to our new tech-enabled consulting offer 
• Booked 27 highly qualified demos 
• Managed to iterate on important decisions faster than ever  

On the personal side, my intention coming here was to grow into a better version of myself and start the year off right.

→ I've been meditating daily.
→ My girlfriend spent the first two weeks with us.  
→ We home cooked most of our meals 
→ Got lots of sun exposure 

Aside from getting sick for 5 days, which slowed down my workout momentum, its been awesome so far.  

One of the big benefits of living together is that we don't have to realign over Slack or schedule a meeting to get quick feedback or align on new ideas. We just ping each other on the shoulder and talk.  

This proximity accelerates everything else:

• Content output is at an all-time high
• Product development cycles are faster than ever
• And it's just fun to be in close proximity to your team.   

In short, we are in a collective flow state.  

We also have people rotating into the villa constantly. Right now from notus its: 

→ Selim 
→ Max 
→ Luca Stober 
→ Mika 
→ barash

My good friend Kasper Knudsen from Copenhagen also just arrived for the week. 

And more founders, team members, and creators are coming over the next few weeks.  

So let's keep it moving. Wishing you all a fantastic start to the year.  

P.S: We're hosting our first mastermind of the year at the end of Q1 here in Lisbon. If you're interested in joining us, send me a DM. 

Keeping this very intimate at 5 spots only.

6 months ago, PayPal created a $200k position to manage its CEO's personal brand. Here's what's happened on Alex Chriss's account since (and what's still missing):

• Posted 10x per month
• Added 27,202 new followers
• Generated millions of impressions
• Even started doing video content

The content itself covers partnership announcements, gratitude posts to clients & his team, and vision pieces around PayPal's ambition to become a bank.

One thing he does well: he speaks to shifts happening through technology and how they affect small businesses. He's clearly positioning himself and PayPal as the company whose mission is to help small businesses thrive in that age. That's smart narrative work.

And I love seeing a CEO at this level go direct. No PR filter. Just him talking to the camera.

The numbers speak for themselves. He's definitely generating awareness.

But here's what I think is still missing:

It sometimes feels like corporate announcements repurposed to a personal account.

→ I'm not getting the raw CEO lens.
→ I’m not getting the challenges he's facing. 
→ I’m not getting the problems he's solving in his day-to-day.
→ I’m not getting how he actually views the world as someone steering a $300B company.

It's hard to get a read on PayPal's culture from his content. So the recruiting upside is unclear.

That said, this is still the right move. Most CEOs at this level aren't doing anything. Alex is ahead of 99.9% of them.

And PayPal's not alone. HubSpot, ClickUp, Lovable & many more are doing this across their entire orgs, not just the CEO/founder.

The companies figuring this out early are building distribution channels their competitors can't buy.

If a $300B company (PayPal) is betting $200k/year on one person managing CEO-led content, the playbook is clearly shifting.

Curious which other companies are doing this well. (tag them in the comments)

1,000+ HubSpot employees are active on LinkedIn with millions of combined followers. Seems like they figured out the highest-leverage play in B2B:

Employee-led marketing (aka your people are your most valuable distribution channel).

We're cluttered with advice, content, opinions. We don't have time for anything. And when we do consume content, we want to learn from real people doing jobs similar to ours at companies we respect.

If I'm a customer success manager, I want to learn from other great CS managers. Not a corporate account. An actual person doing the work.

And this is exactly what HubSpot is doing:

• Maria Begue (Sales Manager, 116k followers) covers HubSpot's Spanish-speaking market and posts leadership content. Not hyper-specific, but relatable. People in similar roles connect with her perspective on growth and navigating their careers.

• Dharmesh Shah (Founder, 1.16m followers) is genuinely likable. Talks about what's happening in the space, gives credit where it's due, shares genuine advice, and plugs HubSpot in ways that feel natural.

• Kieran Flanagan (SVP, 101k followers) speaks directly to marketing leaders about real struggles. Recently posted about feeling behind on AI despite being in the top 0.1% of ChatGPT users. Funny, human, relatable.

None of this sounds like corporate content. It sounds like normal people who authentically document their work experience.

And they actually use the product they're selling.

So when someone asks what tool they use, they say Hubspot. It comes up naturally. Doesn't feel salesy.

Dharmesh recently used his reach to repost a HubSpot user sharing their experience with the product. He added some context, showed appreciation, and amplified someone from the community. 

A very simple way to give back while naturally putting HubSpot in front of more eyes.

Meanwhile, most companies are still:

• Only posting corporate fluff on the company page a few times per week

↳ Then reposting those company posts on CEO profile

This playbook never really worked. It definitely won't work in 2026.

Sure, company accounts are nice-to-have. But they don't move the needle. Statistically less reach. Emotionally less connection.

Your employees have something your logo doesn't: 

→ peers
→ personal networks
→ deep product knowledge

& they're relatable in ways a brand page simply can't be.

Founder-led content has been working so well for this exact reason. When you empower your entire team, you can scale beyond one account.

HubSpot understood this early. Most companies are just starting to catch on.

11 days ago, Lionel Messi did something I never thought I'd see. The most private athlete on the planet sat down for a 40-minute interview and talked about his emotions, his insecurities, and his relationship with his wife:

For context, this is a guy who refuses to speak English on camera out of embarrassment. 

Who's been on 1 or 2 podcasts max. Who's built his entire public image on saying as little as possible.

He shared that he:

• Cries during movies and tries to hide it
• Leaves little gifts and notes for his wife before training
• Loves being alone and shuts down when his plans change
• Calls himself "burro" (idiot) during games when things go wrong
• Almost quit the national team, watched from his couch, and deeply regretted it

Now the interview is everywhere. 

He’s suddenly the most relatable person on the internet. People are seeing their superhero as a guy who gets stuck in his head, struggles to open up, and folds his shirts by color.

I work with founders every day who are terrified to share 10% of what Messi did and think: 

→ vulnerability is weakness
→ personal branding is ego boasting
→ believe their audience only wants tactics and case studies (they are great but shouldn’t be the only thing you share)

Yes it takes courage, but worth it because we're entering an age where pure knowledge and tactics are being commoditized through AI. So the questions become:

1. Who do you actually want to spend time with?
2. Who can you relate to?
3. Who aligns with your values?
4. Who do you want to see succeed?

Being candid about what you're going through, sharing the lows alongside the highs, being humble about the process. 

That's how you open yourself up to opportunities in abundance.

I've been building my personal branding agency in public on YouTube. After 93 videos and 202,000 views, here are my 3 main learnings: 

 𝟭. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴  

Building on YouTube has a slower growth curve than LinkedIn. It's unpredictable. One of my videos blew up 3 weeks after I posted it, others get minimal traction.  

That's why staying intrinsically motivated has been key for me. If I were only focused on business ROI, there's no way I'd last.  My drive comes from documenting the journey and creating something I can look back on.  

𝟮. 𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 

Even though business outcomes weren't my primary goal, YouTube has had a direct impact.  

• We hired 3 content strategists through YouTube 
• We hired our first full-time developer through YouTube 
• We closed 2 clients and generate 2-4 demos per month 
• We repurpose vlogs into Instagram Reels and are seeing real traction there 
• notus team members have been approached on the street because they appeared in vlogs  

1,000 YouTube views are far more valuable than 1,000 LinkedIn impressions. 

The connection is deeper and more personal.  We're still early. I'm betting big on this becoming one of our most valuable assets over the next few years.  

𝟯. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 > 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁  

I quickly realized that having the right setup matters more than having the "best" setup.  

Carrying around a DSLR would be a hassle, and my iPhone storage would fill up too quickly.  

Investing in the Osmo Pocket 3 with an external SSD card has been the game changer. It's lightweight, portable, and makes filming seamless. This way, I can focus on the content rather than the logistics.  

With YouTube, I'm playing the long game. A 5-year mindset. This is where I can truly show my personality, my team's vibe, and what we're building together.  

But this consistency wouldn't be possible without my team and investing resources.  

Big shoutout to Leandro from our team who puts 15+ hours into my vlogs every week, making sure we deliver absolute movies.  

That being said, we just published a new video giving a guest lecture in Paris, teaching students about the power of LinkedIn for their career.  

Plus a new vlog with Hubert Rhomberg is dropping tomorrow  

Check it out through the link in the comments!

Last year we posted 200+ times on LinkedIn. Generated 3,707,700 impressions. Hit 180k MRR. Here is how we plan to double that in 2026: 

For some context, this is the updated version of the playbook that got us here, and the one I'm implementing to do it all over again in 2026. 

It's also what we’re teaching our clients. And it works whether you're scaling or starting from zero. 

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗜𝗖𝗣 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Once I have set my ICP, I’d build an account list in LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify the companies where my ICPs work (e.g construction)

Then I'd use these filters to narrow down to my dream companies: 

→ Industry
→ Location
→ Annual revenue
→ Company headcount
→ Other relevant firmographic data

This gives me a rough LinkedIn TAM estimate (LinkedIn shows me the total number of contacts matching my criteria, which tells me how many prospects I can realistically reach & can also be useful for LI Ads later) 

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

With my ICP in mind, I’d make sure I have:

→ a banner with clear social proof
→ an "About" section with a story & soft CTA to fish out invested people
→ a clear value proposition in the headline
→ a professional yet approachable profile pic
→ case studies & funnel in my featured section

Profile = Sorted.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

Once the profile is set, I’d go back and use the TAM list I did earlier & start segmenting it into relevant sections.

Then I'd subscribe to a tool like HeyReach.io & start sending out 50-100 blank connection requests per week (at a 50% acceptance rate, that's 2,400 new hyper-specific & segmented ICP connections per year)

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲

I am committing to posting 6x per week. Every month, I'd pre-plan my monthly content calendar around some core topic buckets:

To ensure a good content mix, I’d use the notus content archetype framework.

It’s made up of 4 pillars:

• Tactical: Immediately actionable information (like this post)
• Aspirational: Case Studies & Success Story Breakdowns
• Insightful: Insights & opinions on industry trends
• Personal: Telling my story & building in public

(comment engine to steal our operating system how we use it)

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵

I’d take around 30 minutes every day to:

• Scan profile viewers
• Check connection requests
• Look at who liked or commented

If any of these fit into my Ideal Customer Profile, I send them a quick casual message. You can do this manually, but we chose to use Teamfluence
 
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟲: 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 & 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲

Consistency is everything - I would run this strategy for a MINIMUM of 6 months.
Without consistent output it’s impossible to improve.

• Every piece of content,
• Every conversation,
• Every comment,

…gives me more data to improve my strategy.

The longer I run it, the more everything compounds.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟳 & 𝟴 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀:

5 years ago, Hubert Rhomberg was already a pioneer in the construction industry and active on LinkedIn, but lacked the time and systems to scale his online presence. 

Since then, he: 

→ Crossed 37,000+ followers on LinkedIn 
→ Became one of the most followed CEOs in construction 
→ Hit 10,000+ YouTube subscribers 
→ Generated 430K+ views with just 3 videos 

But this wasn't by coincidence. 

This is how we helped Hubert Rhomberg reach millions of people on LinkedIn (& beyond): 

When Hubert and I met, he was already well-regarded in the construction industry. He had spent years building a network offline and also had a strong following on LinkedIn. 

The only thing still missing was the strategy and systems to turn his expertise, insights & ideas into content and reach a wider audience. 

So I took him through our signature notus personal branding process: 

𝟭.) 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 

We hosted a Deep Dive interview to understand Hubert's story and vision. 

He shared his: 

→ Story of taking over the family business 
→ Vision for a sustainable future 
→ Passion for conscious living & technology 

Using this, we turned his LinkedIn profile into a landing page that promoted Rhomberg Bau and CREE startup, but also told his story in an authentic way. 

𝟮.) 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 

We hosted just 1 Content Call per month to discuss topics from our Content Archetype: 

• Aspirational: CREE's Vision & Construction Case Studies 
• Insightful: Sustainability Trends & Tech Implications 
• Tactical: Employee Management & Leadership Tips 
• Personal: Personal Updates & Moments of Clarity 

Our content strategists turned his input into structured outlines and Hubert gave it the final touch. 

He published 1-2x/week and 16x'd his impressions in the first 3 months. 

But we weren't done yet. 

𝟯.) 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 

We focused on LinkedIn for the first 4 years. Then we realized there was untapped potential in: 

→ Growing independent of social media 
→ Expanding to direct distribution channels 
→ Producing long-form video content 

So we: 

• Launched a monthly newsletter 
• Started a monthly YouTube vlog 
• Cross-promoted everything on LinkedIn 

Today, he has 2,000+ newsletter subscribers and 430K+ YouTube views with just 3 videos. 

𝟰.) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 

After 5+ years of partnership, Hubert: 

→ Has 37,000+ followers on LinkedIn 
→ Has 10,000+ subscribers on YouTube 
→ Attracts world-class talent to his companies 
→ Reaches millions of investors & buyers every year 
→ Became one of the most followed CEOs in construction on Social Media 

Working with Hubert has been an inspiring experience to say the least. 

My content calls with him are one of my monthly highlights to this day. 

It's rare to meet someone with such a visionary mind, passionate about saving the world while living a conscious life. 

Hubert, I'm grateful for our continued partnership.

I recorded 200+ podcast episodes with only 1 listener over the past 4 years. Here’s how that got me from 0-180k MRR (& how you can do the same):

𝟭. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗱

Every week I jump on a call with my content strategist barash. We call them content calls.

He interviews me about:

• behind-the-scenes of the company
• case studies told as stories
• my POV on industry trends
• tactical advice

All the stuff that actually builds trust.

We record everything in Riverside (our partner on this post). Open the browser, hit record, done.

𝟮. 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁

Riverside spits out the transcript instantly. Clean audio means the transcript is actually usable.

Barash then scans through, pulls the golden nuggets, drafts the posts (using notusOS - dm us for the waitlist), and sends them back for review.

𝟯. 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝘆

One 60-minute conversation becomes a week of LinkedIn posts.

We also pull video snippets for shorts and repurposed content. We feed our entire content engine from this one call.

This is the high-level process I use to post 6x per week while running my 20+ people business.

If you want the full step-by-step guide on how to do this yourself (for free), you have to:

1. Like this post
2. Comment "RIVERSIDE"
3. Connect with me saying "RIVERSIDE" (if you want to get it quicker)

And I'll send you our ENTIRE step-by-step process on how we run these content calls for our 50+ active personal branding clients.

29 days ago we turned a villa in Lisbon into our company HQ. I've never worked more in my life. I've also never had this much fun. Here's what happened so far:

• 400K+ organic impressions on LinkedIn
• 60+ qualified sales calls booked
• 15 users onboarded to our tech consulting offer
• First company all-hands with every department aligned
• Product shipping faster than ever

I've been putting in 60+ hour weeks consistently. Sometimes choosing work over sleep. Not sustainable long-term, I know.

But there's something about this moment that I don't want to waste.

The team is here. The momentum is real. Everyone's aligned on the same mission. And there's this collective energy when you're all in the same room that just pulls you forward.

We go for walks and end up talking business. We sit down for dinner and end up solving problems. The energy is contagious in a way I can't fully explain.

I don't know how long this window will last. So I'm riding the wave and going hard.

Not all routines are perfectly locked in. But the progress we're making across the board is insane.

And what made it even better - our recent all-hands with the rest of the team spread across the world. Seeing that alignment and shared mission extend far beyond just the villa crew.

One thing I wasn't ready for though: the goodbyes when people rotate out. You get so used to being around each other that you want it to last forever.

Can’t wait to see the full notus squad at the February off-site :)

P.S: We're hosting our first mastermind of the year at the end of Q1 here in Lisbon. If you're interested in joining us, send me a DM.

7 months ago, Vanessa Van Edwards had 20 YEARS of research-backed content but no systemized LinkedIn process to fully leverage it. Since then, she has:

→ Gained 22k+ followers
→ Added 6M+ organic impressions
→ Generated 59 qualified demos (including speaking inquiries billion-dollar companies)
→ Reduced her content workload to just 2 touch points per month 

And we're very happy to share that notus played a part in building her presence on LinkedIn. 

In case you don’t know who Vanessa is, she is a two-time bestselling author and founder of Science of People. For nearly 20 years, Vanessa has built one of the largest content libraries in human behavior and communication:

→ Bestselling books
→ YouTube videos with millions of viewers
→ 1000+ speaking events (at companies like Nike & Amazon) 

But her LinkedIn profile wasn't leveraging this depth, which meant her team wasn’t fully capitalizing on her ideal audience (which lives on the platform)

So we started working with Vanessa and took her through our signature notus personal branding process (with a twist): 

𝟭.) 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 

We bypassed our standard 2.5-week onboarding because Vanessa's extensive IP allowed us to move straight into execution: 

→ Aligned on media strategy 
→ Revamped her LinkedIn profile to reflect clearer positioning
→ Audited all her existing material 
 
Within a week and a half, we produced and scheduled a full month of daily posts (our fastest launch to date).

𝟮.) 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 

We repurposed 15+ years of YouTube and archival content into LinkedIn-ready formats.

The key was identifying “evergreen tip” themes and reintroducing them with modern framing. To maintain scientific precision, we built a two-layer editorial process:

First pass by Vanessa's scientific editorial team → Final sign-off by Vanessa herself

This reduced revisions to just a few comments per 30-post batch, saving Vanessa and her team a lot of time. 

𝟯.) 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 

Her first posts immediately generated qualified engagement, so we placed appointment setters into her account to:

→ Activate messaging frameworks for inbound DMs
→ Build outbound motions to convert profile visitors
→ Create a system to track qualified opportunities 

Today, she averages 12+ qualified demos per month (including billion-dollar company speaking inquiries). 

𝟰.) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁 

After working together for 7 months, Vanessa: 

→ Added 22k+ new followers
→ Generated 6M+ impressions (33k avg per post)
→ Got consistent speaking inquiries from major companies (eBay, UBS, NAES)
→ Reduced her content workload to one 30-min call + batch reviews per month 

And in Vanessa's exact words: 

"I have a very high standard when it comes to content, and I'm very happy that notus is with me there." 

This is exactly why I love what we do: giving the brightest people a voice to help more people in their field.

Vanessa, I'm very grateful for our partnership. :)

I didn't post for 3 weeks over the holiday break (Dec 23rd - Jan 11th). Yet I still generated 120,428 impressions and 15 qualified meetings booked:

This reminded me of something most founders don't realize: if you stay consistent long enough, your content starts working for you even when you're not actively creating.

Over the past few years, notus has built a deep content library across LinkedIn, YouTube, and our newsletter. Hundreds of posts. Dozens of videos. Thousands of subscribers.

When I took my break, that ecosystem didn't stop working. LinkedIn's algorithm surfaced older posts, our thought leadership ads kept running, and people were binging YouTube videos and newsletter archives.

Content becomes a 24/7 trust builder. A sales rep that doesn't sleep. A partnership manager that works while you're offline.

But this didn't happen overnight.

I started posting on LinkedIn in 2018, and that journey has been far from perfect. I've struggled with consistency more times than I can count. Life happens. You can't post every day forever.

Each time I returned from a break, I refined my process. My content improved as my business grew. More experiences meant better stories, which improved my content, which then attracted more people to the business, which helped grow the business, which improved my content... 

You get the drill :D

The compound effect wasn't immediate. But after years of this cycle - posting, falling off, coming back stronger - something shifted. The content library became self-sustaining.

After a three-week Christmas break, we came back with clear focus on Jan 12th:

• 6 posts per week
• Predefined content topics based on our archetype
• Dedicated appointment setter doing the account routine

Basically executing the notus GTM playbook.

Since then we've generated 317,340 impressions and 59 qualified meetings booked.

It's good to be back.

I spent 10 hours analyzing the playbook Chris Walker used to scale his company to 8-figures in 3 years using LinkedIn. The result is a 24-minute vid breakdown: 

If you haven’t heard of the guy, here’s a quick overview:

Chris is known as a pioneer when it comes to B2B marketing. 

Early on in his career, he recognized 1 thing - buyers were educating themselves long before they spoke to a salesperson. 

So, instead of a lead generation model, he pioneered a demand generation model that focused on creating a “value upfront flywheel” that made prospects come to him.

He used LinkedIn as a core part of his strategy and has amassed an audience of over 170,000 (many of whom are his ideal customers).

In B2B marketing circles, Chris has earned the title of “Father of Modern Demand Gen”.

But that wasn’t always the case:

Chris started his B2B Demand Gen Agency “Refine Labs” in 2019 from his living room. He was trying to make ends meet after quitting his corporate job.

Fast forward to today, Refine Labs is a profitable 8-figure ARR business and Chris has moved on to focus on Passetto (as a limited partner) & ENCODED.

In this video, I break down the exact tactics Chris used, including:

• his $10M LinkedIn content strategy
• his “Live Event” podcast playbook
• his various monetization vehicles
• his personal brand media playbook
  
Want it for free?

• Like this post
• Comment “demand gen”
• Send me a connection request (preferably with the word "demand gen" so I can DM you easier)
  
Me or someone from the notus team will send it over!

My morning routine post got 30,000 impressions. My case study got 6,000. Guess which one generated 20 demo requests:

A while back, I posted about cold plunges, productive habits, the whole morning routine thing.

→ 30,000 impressions
→ Solid engagement
→ Zero leads

Around the same time, I posted our notus case study breakdown with Jesse Pujji about scaling his founder brand.

→ 6,000 impressions
→ 20 demo requests
→ LinkedIn DMs, website bookings, immediate pipeline

5x fewer eyeballs but 20x more business impact.

The difference was: one cast a wide net, the other spoke directly to the people I actually want to work with.

Here's what I've learned about balancing both:

1. Broader posts (personal stories, behind-the-scenes, lifestyle moments) build brand. They make people feel like they know you. They have their place.

2. ICP-specific posts (case studies, tactical breakdowns, niche pain points) generate pipeline. They attract buyers, not just followers.

The key is knowing when to use what.

If you're early and need pipeline now, go niche. Talk to the very specific pain points of your ideal customers. When you do this well enough, the algorithm figures it out. Hit an outlier, and it serves your content to more of the same people.

Hormozi referenced a woman with 2,000 Instagram followers, maybe 500-1,000 views per video, but she's making $1-2M because every piece of content attracted her exact ICP.

She then drove them to her newsletter, and converted them into buyers.

That's the game now. Niche audiences are winning because relevancy beats reach.

P.S I'd track which posts generate real signals from qualified buyers, not just likes. That data tells you what to post more of.

Solana is offering $120k+ p/y for somebody to run their LinkedIn, Instagram & newsletters. One of the biggest crypto platforms in the world is betting BIG on personal branding:

Welcome to the future.

We've seen the cycles play out over the last few years:

• First it was the influencer craze
• Then UGC content took over
• Then founder-led content
• Now it's employee-led content mixed in with the rest

The pattern is clear. It's all people documenting their experiences, sharing their expertise, and showing what they're working on.

That said, this is a massive scope for one role. LinkedIn alone could be a full-time job if done properly. Add Instagram, newsletters, blogs, AND creator collaborations on top? That's a lot for one person.

Rather than spreading themselves too thin, I would double down on the most powerful distribution channel they have: their people. 

The folks working with your product, your infrastructure, your ecosystem every day. Empowering them to document what they're working on will naturally turn into an incredibly strong content flywheel.

And it's quite simple to execute:

• Your engineers share what they're building
• Your sales team talks about problems they're solving for customers
• Your founders share the vision and lead by example

None of it needs to be polished. Strategy is great, but the real unlock is simply giving your people permission to share.

You can start with the leadership team & then expand from there.

Either way, Solana is stepping up their personal brand game. So did PayPal. So did HubSpot. ClickUp. Lovable. notus.

I could keep going...

P.S. We're building something to help companies turn their employees into LinkedIn creators without the usual chaos. Keep you posted :)

I started recording video journals seven years ago to practice being on camera. I thought I was becoming a YouTuber. Instead, I was laying the foundation for my 7-figure personal branding agency notus:

Back then, I didn't have the courage to post anything online. But these private recordings changed a lot for me.

𝟭. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀

These video journals became a collection of past memories I could tap back into. Not just to relive moments, but to understand my thinking patterns. I could see how I approached problems, what I prioritized, where I was stuck.

This self-awareness became key for growing my business. I learned to recognize my patterns before they derailed me.

𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮

Everything takes practice. Recording these journals helped me stop feeling like an awkward robot talking to a lens. When I finally started posting content years later, being on camera felt more normal. 

𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆

Just like written journaling, video journals let me dump everything on my mind and detach from it. Processing thoughts out loud became like solo therapy sessions.

Building a business is mentally demanding. Having this outlet kept me sane during the hardest moments.

𝟰. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸

This one surprised me most. I can look back at a video journal from two years ago, see the questions I was wrestling with, and give my younger self advice.

That became one of my favorite content approach: imagine you're speaking to the two-year-younger version of yourself:

→ What problems did that version have? 
→ How would you solve them now? 

This framework has generated hundreds of posts for me.

And honestly, starting a video journal changed my life, even though nobody ever saw those recordings.

All you need is a webcam, an iPhone, any camera. Hit record and speak your truth. 

The benefits compound in ways you can't predict.

24 months ago, Jesse Pujji sold his agency for 8+ figures and was trying to get his personal brand off the ground. Since then, he:

• 4x'd his LinkedIn followers (15k → 58k)
• Grew his newsletter to 32k+ subscribers
• Launched 3 portfolio companies on the back of his personal brand
• Drove 500+ qualified leads to Growth Assistant (his portfolio company)

Here is the backstory on how notus helped him:

Jesse and I met through a mutual friend in early 2023.

He was crushing it on X with content, but his LinkedIn was a different story:

→ no clear strategy
→ inconsistent posting

So I took him through our signature notus personal branding process:

𝟭.) 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

We analyzed Jesse's high-performing X content to identify what resonated most. One topic stood out: Bootstrapping.

This was the category he could own on LinkedIn too, so we:

→ Revamped his profile to showcase his best work 
→ Built a list of top-performing old content 
→ Doubled down on Bootstrapping as his number 1 topic

𝟮.) 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲

Jesse was sitting on years of high-performing content that had never touched LinkedIn.

As a busy founder running multiple companies, he needed a system that:

• Captured fresh insights from him
• Repurposed his best-performing content
• Generated consistent posting without overwhelming his calendar

We committed to posting 3x/week and his account took off.

𝟯.) 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲

With the Content Engine locked in, we focused on helping him own his audience outside of social media.

His newsletter didn't align with his new positioning. So we:

• Built an educational email course
• Used it to drive traffic to his re-branded newsletter

Today, 32k+ subscribers wait for his weekly insights.

𝟰.) 𝗜𝗻-𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

After all systems were running smoothly, we helped Jesse find a Head of Content to bring operations in-house. 

Jesse also invited me to run workshops for his Bootstrapped Giants B2B Sales Accelerator program. I've now done 3 workshops with him and Andrew (DM if you want me to send it to you)

We still consult with his content team too, but they don't rely on us anymore.

𝟱.) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲

Today, Jesse has:

→ 4×’d his LinkedIn following (from 15k to 58k)  
→ Driven 500+ qualified leads to his portfolio companies  
→ Grown his newsletter to 32k+ subscribers  

And in his own words:

"Marvin & notus have been amazing. They have a point of view. They don’t just take orders, but share what they think makes sense, what will work and why."

I want to say thank you to Jesse for our collaboration.

Can't wait to see where you go next :)

In October 2025, LinkedIn became one of the top 5 most-cited domains across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode.

When people ask AI about your industry, your market, your expertise, LinkedIn content is now one of the primary sources for those answers.

The data is clear:

• Reddit citations on ChatGPT dropped from 60% to 10%
• Wikipedia fell from 55% to under 20%
• LinkedIn citations rose across all platforms

AI systems are diversifying their sources. They're rewarding consistent, professional content.

This ties into something I've been saying to founders for years:

Google your name and see where LinkedIn appears. Usually it's one of the first results. That shows you how often people land on your profile after meeting you at an event or hearing your name somewhere.

Now we're seeing the second piece. It's not just your profile. It's the content library you build when you show up consistently.

We actually noticed this in our own data. notus uses self-reported attribution on our website, and people started typing in "ChatGPT" as how they found us when booking a meeting. I was confused at first. Then it clicked:

The content we've been publishing for years is now influencing how AI tools surface recommendations.

I took a 2.5 week vacation recently and didn't post once. We still generated leads and impressions because the algorithm kept surfacing older content to people.

That's the compounding effect of evergreen content. You're not just chasing views on a platform. You're building long-term brand equity that increases the likelihood people discover you, independent of any single post's performance.

The lesson for B2B founders: build a content ecosystem where your ideal audience spends time. For most right now, that's LinkedIn.

Start with the founder or an executive who believes in the mission, has stories to tell, and is in it for the long run.

This is the new SEO (and so much more)

A personal finance & investing creator with 3.8M Instagram followers became SoFi's first Chief of Financial Empowerment:

Vivian Tu started as a "Wall Street Girly". She learned personal finance from colleagues and got fed up with how existing online content only spoke to old, rich men. So she flipped the script:

→ Turned student loans and stock tips into relatable content mixed with celeb gossip
→ Built millions of followers who actually wanted to learn about money
→ Became a New York Times bestselling author and CEO of Your Rich BFF

And now she's leading financial empowerment at one of the biggest digital-first financial services companies in the U.S.

This is the shift I've been watching for years.

Content, product, marketing, and sales are completely intertwined now. Companies need creators in actual management roles, not just as external partners. The partnership becomes fundamentally stronger when you're aligned as teammates, not vendor-client relationships.

Plus the old model was transactional:

pay per post → campaign ends → move on.

But sponsorships have a fundamental problem: misaligned incentives. The creator focuses on their next brand deal while the company competes on price. Neither party builds for the long term.

When you give someone a seat at the table, the entire dynamic shifts.

"Show me the incentive, I'll show you the outcome." applies perfectly here.

If a creator is invested in your company's growth, they think about your brand in every situation. 

Not because they're paid to mention you in one post, but because it's their job to win.

There's another psychological factor most people miss.

When I see a sponsored post, I get skeptical. I know they're getting paid for it. But when I know someone works there and they're documenting their work? 

That feels authentic. The audience trusts it because there's no sponsorship disclaimer.

Vivian built trust with millions of people around financial advice. Now SoFi gets that trust built into their leadership team, not rented for a campaign.

I'm surprised how many companies still don't get this. 

Just last week, a friend told me about a heated debate he had with his CEO who thinks personal branding is "ego boasting."

The wake-up call is simple: your competitors are pushing their employees to become creators internally and/or hiring creators into leadership roles while you're still debating whether personal branding matters.

The companies that get this early will keep winning.

🚀 Mein Motto: Build, learn, teach

🏗 Ich baue Tech Unternehmen und investiere in Start-ups.

🎓 Vor 15 Jahren gründete ich mein erstes Unternehmen im Studium. Ein Onlineshop für digitale Musik. Gelernt habe ich bei meiner Gründung aber deutlich mehr als in der Uni. Und das obwohl - oder gerade weil?! - das Start-up gefailed ist.

🦸🏻‍♂️ Im letzten Semester begann die insgesamt 10-jährige Reise als Solo Founder von RegioHelden. Das Unternehmen beschäftigte mehrere hundert Mitarbeiter und wurde 2015 an Ströer verkauft.

💰 Im Laufe der Jahre folgten als Investor knapp 10 (Mit-)Gründungen und über 50 Start-up Investments. 

🚀 Meine Mission ist, meine Erfahrungen an aufstrebende Founder weiterzugeben und ihnen ein Netzwerk zu bieten. Ganz nach dem Motto #boostingbuilders

👾 Mit unserem Web3 Fund w3.fund investieren meine Partner und ich in frühphasige Start-Ups in den Bereichen Blockchain,  Metaverse, Tokenization und Gaming.

Feliks Eyser

Er flog dreimal nach Solingen. Er schickte Blumen an die Ehefrau. Er besorgte Rucksäcke für die drei Kinder.

Christian Meermann (Cherry Ventures) wollte in Mirko Novakovic investieren.

Das Problem: Mirko hatte seine vorherige Firma für 500 Millionen an IBM verkauft. Er brauchte kein Geld. Kapital ist für solche Gründer eine Commodity.

Um in den Deal für seine neue Firma Dash0 zu kommen, musste Christian mehr bieten als nur ein Term Sheet. Er wollte beweisen, dass er den gleichen Aufwand bringt wie der Gründer selbst. Also setzte er sich in den Flieger, aß mehrmals mit ihm zu Abend und gewann am Ende nicht nur den Gründer, sondern die ganze Familie.

Im Gespräch mit Christian wurde klar: Venture Capital ist kein passives Asset Management. Es ist ein Kontaktsport.

Neben dieser Anekdote öffnete Christian im Podcast seine interne „geheime Notion-Liste“. Das sind Geschäftsmodelle, die Cherry finanzieren will, für die sie aber noch das richtige Team suchen:

1. Neobank für Defense: Rüstungsunternehmen haben oft Schwierigkeiten, Kredite von klassischen Banken zu bekommen, da diese keine Waffen finanzieren wollen oder dürfen. Eine spezialisierte Bank für die europäische Verteidigungsindustrie ist eine riesige Lücke.

2. AI Drug Discovery: Pharmaunternehmen sitzen auf Bergen von Daten aus klinischen Studien, die oft in Silos liegen. Ein Team, das diese internen Daten mit externem Research (z.B. von Universitäten) verknüpft, könnte die Entwicklung von Blockbuster-Medikamenten massiv beschleunigen.

3. Supply Chain Sovereignty: Wir wissen oft nicht, welche Bauteile in unseren Produkten woher kommen. Wenn Importe aus China oder den USA wegbrechen, stehen wir still. Europa braucht eine Datenplattform, die Lieferketten bis ins kleinste Detail transparent macht, um Souveränität zu sichern.

..die restlichen Ideen der "geheimen Liste" gibt's im Pod 🎙️

Wir diskutieren oft, ob Europa technologisch abgehängt ist. Christian hat gerade einen 500-Millionen-Fonds geraised, um das Gegenteil zu beweisen. Sein Ziel: Die erste "Trillion Dollar Company" in Europa zu finanzieren.

Das erfordert Mut. Und manchmal Blumen für die Ehefrau des Gründers.

Hört euch die ganze Episode mit Christian Meermann unter "Founder Mode" an - überall, wo es Podcasts gibt.

„Wir verkaufen hier keine Socken.“

Das ist der Satz, mit dem Dr. Vivien Karl erklärt, warum sie ihren größten Wachstumskanal vorerst ignoriert.

Vivien hat ein Produkt für einen Markt gebaut, über den niemand spricht: Intimpflege für Frauen in der Menopause. 

Das Potenzial ist riesig. 14 Millionen betroffene Frauen allein in Deutschland.

Dann passierte das, wovon jeder D2C-Gründer träumt: Tina Mueller (damals Douglas-CEO) kommentierte unter einen ihrer LinkedIn-Posts.

Für Vivien war das der „Ritterschlag“. 

Was folgte, war ein Lehrbuchbeispiel für den „Lemming-Effekt“ bei Investoren: Sobald die Leuchtturm-Investorin drin war, wollten alle rein. Die Pre-Seed-Runde war in drei Wochen geschlossen. Statt geplanten 800.000 € sammelten sie 1,6 Millionen ein.

Doch dann traf Vivien eine Entscheidung, die 90 % der Gründer nicht treffen würden.

Obwohl sie die Top-Expertin für Retail im Cap Table hat und der Weg in die Drogerie-Regale offen stünde, sagt sie: Nein. Kein DM. Kein Rossmann. Vorerst kein Retail.

Ihre Logik ist radikal: Daten schlagen Distribution.

Im Regal ist die Kundin anonym. Im eigenen Shop gehört die Beziehung Vivien. Sie weiß, wer kauft und warum 55 % innerhalb eines Jahres wiederkommen.

In einer neuen und sensibleren Kategorie musst du deine Kunden erst verstehen, bevor du sie skalierst. Vivien baut lieber erst einen richtigen „Sog“ über die Marke auf, statt als austauschbare Packung im Regal zu stehen.

Disziplin bedeutet manchmal, „Nein“ zum schnellen Umsatz zu sagen, selbst wenn die Tür weit offen steht.

Hör dir jetzt in der neuen Founder Mode Folge an, wie man eine Kategorie langfristig gewinnt:

👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

Wenn die Doppelgänger-Folge mehr Views als Christian Wolf kriegt, muss ich Pip & Philipp zu 48 Austern einladen.

Es scheint nicht zu reichen, dass die Jungs mit ihrem Podcast bald über 1 Mio. EUR Umsatz machen - Philipp Gloeckler lässt keine Form der Monetarisierung aus! 

In dem Fall ist der schmutzige Side-Deal: Wenn die Doppelgänger x Founder Mode auf YouTube mehr Aufrufe kriegt als die bisher erfolgreichste (mit Chris Wolf), schulde ich den Jungs eine Einladung ins Borchardt inkl. Austern.

Ihnen fehlen nur noch 2k Views... Philipp Gloeckler rät mir als Abwehrmaßnahme Views einzukaufen. Die Situation spitzt sich zu.

Hier eine repräsentative Visualisierung von Philipp Klöckners Vorspeise:

🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪
🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪
🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪
🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪🦪

Wer würde das behind-the-scenes-Video schauen?! 📺

Ein führendes AI-Voice-Modell aus Deutschland?! 🤔

Kaum zu glauben: AI geht auch hier 🤯

Aber erstmal einen Schritt zurück:

Paskal und Jan lernen sich online beim Minecraft-Spielen kennen und betreiben einen der größten Gaming Server (Unternehmertum zeigt sich ja oft früh..).

Sie sprechen über Discord & Co. miteinander und fangen in ihren Teenagerjahren an, sich mit Voice-Technologie zu beschäftigen.

Ihre erste Business-Idee: Microsoft Teams disrupten - hat leider nicht funktioniert 😄

Doch darüber werden sie auf ein Problem aufmerksam: Voice AI ist langsam und klingt schlecht.

Der Grund: Sprache wird in Text übersetzt, durch ein LLM gejagt und anschließend wieder zu Audio konvertiert. "STT-LLM-TTS" nennen das die Experten.

Das Problem ist, dass der Prozess sehr lange dauert und Sprach-Informationen wie bspw. Emotionalität verloren gehen. Deswegen klingt Voice AI oft roboter-mäßig und ist verzögert.

Ihre Lösung: Ein "Speech-to-Speech Reasoning Model". Die Sprache dient als Input und Output. Es findet keine "Übersetzung" zu Text statt. 

Das bedeutet, die Antworten kommen schneller, das Modell klingt flüssiger. Und trotzdem kann das Modell "denken" im Vergleich zu vorherigen Speech-to-Speech-Modellen.

Hier könnt ihr es selbst ausprobieren: +49398770520935 

Paskals und Jans Mission mit Deepslate ist, das beste AI Speech-to-Speech Model für real-time Anwendungen zu bauen.

In Benchmarks liegt das Model im Reasoning vor OpenAI, in der Intelligenz vor Gemini und in der Latenz vor ElevenLabs. Ohne Hunderte Millionen an Funding!

Versicherungen hosten Deepslate heute schon "on-premise", um Datenschutz in ihrer Kundenkommunikation zu wahren. Ein weiterer großer Vorteil gegenüber anderen Modellen, die meistens in der Cloud gehostet werden müssen.

Wir sind mit Jetpack als Founding Investoren dabei gemeinsam mit Dr. Kyung-Hun Ha, Richard Lohwasser, Jonas Suedfels, Prof. Dr. Roland Fassauer und das Team von SIVentures (prev. Smart Infrastructure Ventures). 

Glückwunsch zur Pre-Seed Runde in Rekordzeit! 📈 

Wer sich für Voice AI Anwendungen im Enterprise Umfeld interessiert sollte unbedingt mit Paskal Paesler sprechen 🤓

Founder Mode hat aktuell 600 Subscriber auf YouTube. Unser Studio-Setup ist dafür komplett übertrieben.

Eine Folge im Studio zu produzieren, kostet all-in ca. 1.500–2.000 €. Warum machen wir das trotz 0 € Werbeeinnahmen?

Meine 4 Thesen dazu:

1. Audio reicht nicht 

Die „Sprache des Internets“ ist Video. Egal ob Long- oder Short-Form: Wir konsumieren einfach viel mehr Video- als Audio-Inhalte. Die Discoverability auf YouTube wird uns langfristig mehr neue Subscriber bringen, als ein Audio-only-Format auf Spotify das je könnte. Puristen sagen: „Podcast reicht Audio-only.“ Wir sagen: Nein.

2. Shorts und Clips bringen das Wachstum 

Podcasts haben ein „Shelf-Space-Problem“: Der durchschnittliche Hörer konsumiert selten mehr als 3–5 Podcasts parallel. Die Zeit reicht einfach nicht. Um uns als neuer Podcast zu beweisen, dienen Clips als „Sampling“. Wenn künftige Hörer den 5., 10. oder 20. starken Clip mit echten Learnings sehen, werden sie irgendwann die Longform abonnieren.

3. Eine 12/10 Guest Experience braucht ein Studio

Wir produzieren zwar noch viele Folgen remote, aber die Connection zum Gast ist „in person“ eine völlig andere. Die Gäste merken, dass wir es ernst meinen. Wir wollen ihre Story wortwörtlich ins beste Licht rücken. Dazu gehören unser 4-Kamera-Setup, professionelle Beleuchtung und eine 4-köpfige Crew. Unser Ziel ist der Satz: „Ich war schon in vielen Podcasts, aber was ihr hier macht, übertrifft alles.“

4. Qualität setzt sich durch

Ein neues Medienformat zu etablieren, ist ein Long Game. Ich sage oft: „Wir sind in Jahr 2 von 10.“ Es geht aktuell darum, unseren extrem hohen Qualitätsanspruch an das Endprodukt zu zementieren. Dazu gehören Stunden an Vorbereitung, Prep-Calls mit dem engsten Circle der Gäste und eine fast schon übertriebene Guest Experience. Ich habe einfach keine Lust, ein mittelmäßiges Produkt anzubieten, und glaube fest daran, dass sich dieser Aufwand irgendwann lohnt.

Wer zu den ersten 1.000 Subscribern von Founder Mode auf YT gehören will: Bald ist die letzte Möglichkeit dazu. 😉

Was glaubt ihr: Wo macht beim Podcast-Aufbau ein „unreasonable Investment“ noch Sinn?

„Ich brauche keine Series A mehr. Mit AI-Tools baue ich das alleine.“

Das ist der aktuelle LinkedIn-Konsens. Christian Meermann (Cherry Ventures) hält dagegen.

Seine Warnung im Podcast: Ja, man kann heute mit 500.000 € Seed-Kapital eine Firma auf 10 Millionen Umsatz bringen.

Das Problem? Wir sind in einem globalen Markt. Während du in Berlin stolz darauf bist, „lean“ zu wachsen, gibt es einen Wettbewerber in San Francisco. Und der sagt: „I go all in“, raised 50 Millionen und nutzt das Kapital, um den Markt aggressiv zu besetzen.

Wer langsam wächst, wird überrollt.

Christian sucht nicht nach Lifestyle-Business-Gründern. Er hat gerade einen 500 Millionen Fund geraised mit einem Ziel:

Er will die erste Trillion Dollar Company Europas finanzieren.

Warum er glaubt, dass wir das Talent dafür haben, aber oft an der eigenen Ambition scheitern und warum „Childhood Trauma“ oft ein Indikator für Erfolg ist:

Die Antworten gibt es in der aktuellen Folge Founder Mode

Zehn Wochen Training mit einer Psychologin. Nicht für die Psyche. Sondern für den härtesten Vertriebskanal der Welt: Teleshopping.

Dr. Vivien Karl steht live vor fünf Kameras. Im Ohr ein Knopf, verbunden mit Analysten, die nur eine Metrik kennen: Umsatz pro Minute.

Wenn die Kurve steigt, brüllt die Regie: „Hyaluron konvertiert! Red über Hyaluron!“. Vivien muss liefern. Sofort.

Diese radikale Kundennähe überträgt sie auf alles: Sie öffnet ihren privaten Kalender für wildfremde Frauen. Sie fragt nicht, was sie denken. Sie fragt: „Was wünschst du dir?“.

Das Ergebnis: Ein Gleitmittel für Frauen in der Menopause, das dreimal in Folge sofort ausverkauft war.

Das ist „Founder Mode“: Keine Delegation an Agenturen, sondern dorthin gehen, wo die Wahrheit liegt.
Der Beweis? Drei Monate nach Start lag eine 170-seitige Abmahnung eines Pharma-Riesen im Briefkasten. Vivien dachte, es ist vorbei. Heute weiß sie: Es war ein Beweis das Ihre Produkte ankommen.

Hör dir an, wie man eine Branche aufbricht:

👇🏼 Founder Mode: Dr. Vivien Karl

Manchmal fühlt sich Gründen an wie ein Film.
Nur dass niemand ruft: Cut.

Dr. Vivien Karl steht in der Apotheke und entwickelt die erste Rezeptur ihrer „Intimpflegecreme“.
Ein paar Monate später kommentiert Tina Müller unter einem LinkedIn-Post – und steigt als Angel-Investorin ein.
Der Ritterschlag kommt per DM.

Dazwischen: Wochen, in denen kaum ein Sale reinkommt.
Kein Umsatz. Kein Gedanke ans Aufgeben.

In dieser Folge spricht Vivien über:

– ihre ersten Produkte aus der Apotheken-Rezeptur
– den Aufbau einer D2C-Marke rund um ein Tabuthema
– langsames Anziehen der Sales – und schnelles Momentum in der Pre-Seed-Runde
– wie sie mit einer 170-seitigen Abmahnung konfrontiert wurde
– Hyrox-Wettkämpfe und das Leben zwischen Bühne, Teleshopping und Campingplatz
– Co-Founderin Julia, Female Angels und ein Cap Table als Sparrings-Team

👉 Link zur Folge in den Kommentaren.

Siebenstelligen Umsatz abgelehnt?

Beim Doppelgänger Podcast gab es in den ersten zwei Jahren keine Monetarisierung.
Keine Werbung. Kein Sponsoring. Gar nichts.
Nicht, weil es keine Nachfrage gab – sondern weil sie sich bewusst dagegen entschieden haben.

Philipp Gloeckler und Philipp Klöckner erzählen im Podcast, warum zu frühes Geld oft teurer ist, als es aussieht.
Weil es Vertrauen kostet.
Weil es das Hörerlebnis verändert.
Und weil das, was man am Anfang „liegen lässt“, langfristig meist irrelevant ist –
wenn rund 99% von Umsatz und Gewinn erst in der Zukunft entstehen.


🎧 Ganze Folge im Founder Mode Podcast (Link in den Kommentaren)

Von der Apotheke zum siebenstelligen "Muschi-Creme"-Business 🐚

Sie hat einen Markt geknackt, den alle anderen ignorieren: Dr. Vivien Karl skaliert ihr Unternehmen in den mittleren siebenstelligen Bereich und das in einer Kategorie, über die kaum jemand spricht.

Mit Intimpflege generiert sie Millionen-Umsätze (DR. VIVIEN KARL). Das Erfolgsrezept? Ein wilder Mix aus D2C-E-Commerce und Teleshopping.

Hier sind 3 Einblicke aus dem Podcast:

1️⃣ Painkiller > Vitamins (Retention-Hack)  55 % der Kundinnen kaufen wieder. Warum? Weil sie keine „Nice-to-have“-Kosmetik verkauft, sondern echte Schmerzen lindert. Ihr Learning: Wenn du ein echtes Leidensthema adressierst, wird der Preis irrelevant und die Kundin wechselt das Produkt nie wieder.

2️⃣ 170 Seiten Abmahnung – 3 Monate nach Start  Stell dir vor: Du hast gerade gelauncht, bist euphorisch – und dann liegt Post von einem großen Pharma-Konzern im Briefkasten. 170 Seiten. Die Anwälte sagten damals: „So etwas haben wir bei einem so jungen Startup noch nie gesehen. Die wollen ein Exempel statuieren.“. Vivien hatte zwei Optionen: A) Den Laden dichtmachen und zurück in den sicheren Job. B) Anwalt anrufen, Investorin Tina Müller kontaktieren und weitermachen. Sie wählte Option B.

3️⃣ Customer Insights auf Steroiden  Sie blockt ihren Kalender für 1:1-Gespräche mit Kundinnen. Ihre goldene Frage: „Wenn du einen Wunsch frei hättest, welches Produkt würdest du dir wünschen?“. Genau so entstand das neue Gleitgel, das sofort ausverkauft war.

Wir sprechen im Podcast außerdem darüber, wie Tina Mueller über einen LinkedIn-Kommentar zur Investorin wurde und warum Vivien ihre Co-Founder-Beziehung proaktiv durch professionelles Coaching schützt.

🎙️🚀 Den Link zur Folge findet ihr in den Kommentaren oder unter "Founder Mode" (Founder Mode) überall, wo es Podcasts gibt.

Dieser Skill ist in fünf Jahren komplett irrelevant – auch für Founder.

Gemeint ist Wissen.
Alles, was man sich ausschließlich aus Text aneignen kann, verliert seinen Wert.
Nicht morgen, aber schneller, als viele erwarten.

Im Gespräch mit Philipp Gloeckler und Philipp Klöckner geht es darum, was stattdessen zählt.
-Warum Reichweite Verantwortung mit sich bringt.
-Was bleibt, wenn Wissen allein kein Schutz mehr ist.
-Und warum Integrität sich nicht dann zeigt, wenn alles leicht ist,
sondern genau in den Momenten, in denen einfaches Geld lockt.
-Außerdem darüber, wie ein nachhaltiges Podcast-Business entsteht.


🎧 Ganze Folge im Founder Mode Podcast (Link in den Kommentaren)

Ist die deutsche Venture Capital Industrie in einer Midlife-Crisis?

Christian Meermann ( Cherry Ventures ) hat darauf im Podcast eine klare Antwort.

Er beschreibt die Zeit um 2021 so: „Du kommst aus einer Zeit, wo alles mega war. Flink ging durch die Decke. Du konntest gar nicht so schnell gucken, wie die nächste Upround passierte.“

Und dann? „Plötzlich geht die Musik aus. Und jeder denkt: Hoppla, was haben wir hier eigentlich gemacht?“

Viele Investoren und Gründer stehen heute vor einem Scherbenhaufen. Funds werden nicht mehr geraised, Partnerschaften zerbrechen.

Christian analysiert in Founder Mode nüchtern, was gerade passiert:

Die Zweiklassengesellschaft: Der Markt ist gespalten. Im AI-Bereich fühlt es sich immer noch an wie 2021: schnelle Runden, hohe Bewertungen. Aber im Non-AI-Bereich (SaaS, Consumer) ist die Realität hart. Wer hier kein „perfektes Business“ baut, bekommt kein Geld .

Der „Realitätsverlust“ vieler Gründer: Als Cherry Ventures ein Memo an alle Portfolio-Firmen schickte („Das Geld wird knapp, verlängert eure Runway“), hielten viele Gründer stur an ihrer Wachstums-Story fest. Ein Fehler. Christian sagt: Erfolg macht oft immun gegen Kritik. Die besten Gründer sind nicht die, die ihren Plan durchziehen, sondern die, die zuhören und radikal adaptieren.

Konsolidierung statt Krise: Christian nennt es keine Midlife-Crisis, sondern eine notwendige Konsolidierung. Es gab zu viele Funds, zu viel Geld für mittelmäßige Ideen. Jetzt trennt sich die Spreu vom Weizen.

Trotz der Katerstimmung glaubt Christian an das Comeback. Er hat gerade 500 Millionen Euro geraised.

Sein Ziel ist die erste europäische „Trillion Dollar Company“.

Wie er das erreichen will:

Hört euch die Episode an. 🎙️ Founder Mode – überall, wo es Podcasts gibt.

Wie findet man heraus, ob ein Gründer wirklich „All In“ ist?

Man fragt nicht nach dem Business Case. 
Man fragt nach dem Schmerz.

Christian Meermann (Cherry Ventures) sucht nach Resilienz. Gründen ist ein Rollercoaster, es geht 20 Mal im Jahr bergab. Wer da nicht absolut widerstandsfähig ist, bricht ein.

Im Podcast verrät er zwei Methoden, um diese Härte zu testen:

1. Der „Childhood Trauma“-Indikator
Es klingt extrem, aber Christian achtet darauf: Gab es in der Vergangenheit massive Widerstände? Er fragt gezielt: „Was war die größte Herausforderung in deiner Kindheit?“. Wer schon früh lernen musste, sich durchzuboxen, gibt später weniger schnell auf.

2. Der Ironman-Test
Cherry lädt Gründer jedes Jahr zum Rennradfahren mit Jan Frodeno ein. Natürlich besiegt niemand den dreifachen Ironman-Sieger. Aber Christian beobachtet genau: Wer fährt vorne an der Spitze mit? Wer beißt sich durch, auch wenn es weh tut? Und wer bleibt dabei trotzdem ein Teamplayer?

Man kann ein Pitch Deck fälschen. Charakter nicht.

Wie man Christian überzeugt, wenn man kein Leistungssportler ist und warum er glaubt, dass wir die erste europäische „Trillion Dollar Company“ bauen werden:

Hört euch die Episode an.

🎙️ Founder Mode – überall, wo es Podcasts gibt.

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